Monroe Lab Manufactures New Vaccine For Gulf Troops

A botulism vaccine apparently destined for United States soldiers in the Persian Gulf is being manufactured in a Pocono Township laboratory.

The U.S. Army ordered the vaccine from the Salk Institute facility several months ago, according to Delbert Glanz, a Salk vice president at the company's headquarters in La Jolla, Calif.

The Salk lab is adjacent to the larger Connaught Laboratories along Route 611 in Swiftwater.

Glanz offered no specifics about the Defense Department order, citing restrictions imposed by the military. He said he did not know what quantity of the vaccine was being produced.

Details of the military's vaccination plan remain secret. The issue is politically sensitive because of reported shortages of various vaccines.

Pentagon spokeswoman Susan Hansen yesterday would only confirm the military's intention to inoculate personnel in the Persian Gulf against "various potential chemical and biological threats."

Neither Hansen nor Glanz would say whether the Salk vaccine was intended for use in the Middle East. Salk has produced various vaccines for the military at Swiftwater since 1978.

"It's just another routine request as far as we're concerned," Glanz said.

The Pentagon plans to administer experimental drugs, including a botulism vaccine, to U.S. troops in the gulf, The New York Times reported yesterday.

The botulism vaccine is considered experimental, the report said, because the Food and Drug Administration lacks the medical data needed to determine its effectiveness.

Salk's botulism vaccine is not licensed by the FDA, Glanz said.

The newspaper reported that experts say the vaccine seems safe for human use. It is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control. But so far its use has been limited to laboratory workers who handle the toxin.